Tag: App Update

There is a new update to Chrome for Android rolling out that has some nice new features for the browser.  The update is version 54.0.2840.68 for those keeping score at home and is now in the Google Play Store.  The OTA update should roll out to your devices over the course of the next few days.  Once you have it, there are three new features that will be available that improve the overall experience of the app.  First, there are new article suggestions when you open up a new tab.  This will be based on your browsing history as well as topics you’ve identified in other Google services (like Google News) that are of interest to you.

Google and other developers continue to update their apps to support multi-window views in Android Nougat and the latest to get the treatment is Google Calculator.  Now let’s be honest, calculator apps aren’t exactly exciting.  The principles of mathematics haven’t changed and frankly, no app is going to make it really exciting.  It is utilitarian. But, that said, having the ability to have the calculator on one pane while say in Sheets or Excel in the other?  That can be really handy.

The updated build is version 7.1.1 for those keeping score at home and the update is available now in the Play Store.  If you have the app already installed, you should see the OTA update for it over the course of the next few days.  Don’t expect to see a lot of changes.  It is a calculator.  But it is a calculator that you can now run in parallel on your screen with another app which can be quite handy.

For those who don’t remember how to get to multi-window in Nougat, have at least two apps open and then tap-and-hold the Recents button.  You will then be able to select the app you want at the bottom (or right in landscape mode) on your screen.  Tap it and you have two apps visible.  You can then use the bar between the two apps to resize one window to make it larger depending on your needs.

For those who have the ClintonFitch.com app installed, there is an update coming your way.  I pushed version 6.0.4 to the Play Store earlier today which has several improvements and fixes in it.  Most notably from a visual perspective, the menu is a lot cleaner and a bit easier to navigate than in the previous build.  I’ve also updated the API level of the app which means it will no longer work on devices running anything lower than Android KitKat at this point.  Based on statistics I don’t think this will impact anyone with the app installed, but be aware if you are on an older device.

Prisma has become one of the most popular Android and iOS apps out there.  The AI-driven photo manipulating app allows you to quickly and effortlessly turn a photo into a work of art and can produce some amazing results.  The only real drawback to the app, however, has been that in order for you to use it, you had to be online.  With the latest update to the app, which is rolling out to the Google Play Store now, that changes.  You can now use the app offline to do your art creation and even better, you only really need to be online when you are downloading Prisma styles.

Gmail for Android has been updated with several improvements for users.  The updated build, version 6.9.11.134426830.release for those keeping score at home and who like version number Bingo, is rolling out now in the Play Store and when you get it, you will find that you have much improved search features in the app.  Google has improved the search features in Gmail that give you much better search results of what is in your accounts whether you are offline or online.  Further, the search improvements work on both your Google accounts as well as your non-Google accounts.  You can search a variety of ways including the senders name and their email address.

It has been a busy day for the Google Cloud and G Suite team at Google.  They have just announced that new versions of the Android apps for Google Docs, Sheets and Slides have been released to the Play Store.  In those updated apps, you can now retrieve a trashed file within the app itself.  To this point, if you delete a file on purpose or accident and needed to retrieve it, you had to go to the Trash folder in the web-based version of the app or Google Drive on the web.  Now you can bypass that requirement and do it all from the apps on your phone or tablet.